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Thought a seven speed transmission was enough? Well think again, as Mercedes-Benz is launching a 9G automatic transmission offering as the name suggests nine speeds. The goal of course being efficiency and increasing highway fuel economy figures by keeping the motor at lower revs. The new 9G transmission is standard equipment on the E350 BlueTec and should replace the 7G in all standard models eventually but likely not in AMG models. The 4Matic E350 will stick with the 7G for now.

Cramming more gears into an automatic housing rarely makes the transmission stronger. AMG stuck to the old 5-speed automatic for quite some time in AMG cars due to the torque they generate. Only recently have they switched to the 7G in the big torque 65 AMG models and it is doubtful the 9G is up to the task of 738 pound-feet of torque.

The 9G transmission improves fuel economy figures by 2 miles per gallon on the highway in the E350 BlueTec. City figures improve by a surprising 3 miles per gallon. 0-60 remains 6.6 seconds.

Will transmissions stop here or add more even more speeds? Considering 7-speeds have now become routine and the same will likely happen with eight and nine speeds one should not bet against it.

A strong CVT would be the ideal transmission. You could tune the motor/trans to work together to keep things at the optimal torque or HP point based on specific conditions. They definitely aren't the most exciting thing to drive (sounds like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! !!) and the Fast and Furious franchise would definitely miss out on some big drama scenes... HaHa

as for 9 speeds, seems like at some point the added weight of the extra gears and larger casings would offset any gains in efficiency.

My A4 has the CVT. In sport mode it can certainly act like a normal car. In D, its so $#@!ing dull and feels like the ultimate dog. But I get great gas mileage. Which is then cancelled out by the premium fuel I have to run.

Gas mileage? I mean, not gonna say I don't mind getting 25-27 mpg on a car that runs 12's at the track, but honestly, not the reason I bought it. IMO anything that gets over 20 mpg on highway is good enough. If it's a sports car, who cares. lol

for those buying for fuel efficiency though, it's good news. I personally will leave fuel efficiency to the Japanese and their hybrids...

Gas mileage? I mean, not gonna say I don't mind getting 25-27 mpg on a car that runs 12's at the track, but honestly, not the reason I bought it. IMO anything that gets over 20 mpg on highway is good enough. If it's a sports car, who cares. lol

for those buying for fuel efficiency though, it's good news. I personally will leave fuel efficiency to the Japanese and their hybrids...